ComplaintsforMeridian Collision Center, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  11/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I sent my car to Meridian Auto Collision Center in February of 2022 to be fixed after I hit a curb. After approx. 6 months of being told different stories about why my car was not fixed yet (Parts not in, wrong parts showed up, etc..) and countless times of attempting to reach the business only to be hung up on or given the run around, I finally was able to pick my car up. The broken parts and spare parts to my vehicle were carelessly tossed in the trunk and left there for me to find a way to dispose of them, my car was absolutely filthy, and my personal items were thrown into a ziplock bag labeled "Center Console Crap" and tossed into the back of my car. Meridian Auto told me the car was completely fixed using ***** certified parts and given an alignment to ensure its safety, but upon retrieval, the car seemed to drive weird. I took it to my ***** dealership to find that not only was the car unsafe due to it not having correct alignment, but the parts that were "***** certified" and took months to get in, were in reality not. Some were even used parts off of other vehicles. ***** also informed me that after their full inspection, they found the frame was bent and Meridian Collision "broke" my tire sensors (***** was given the full report of everything Meridian had "fixed or needed fixed" and it was not on the list, something they told me should have been noticed immediately by Meridian Auto Collision. My car is still at ***** where they are attempting to fix it. Also, when I was finally able to pick my car up from Meridian, they told me that we are still waiting on 2 parts to come in which I still havent heard back from them and it has been months. When me or my father would go in to talk to the people at Meridian it seemed like no one knew what was going on and they were extremely rude and disrespectful. It has gotten to the point where my father had to purchase a car for me to get to and from work.

  

  Business response

  11/04/2022

  Meridian Collision (MCC) response: ID#********
  
  ******************** vehicle was towed to MCC on 3/2/22.  Repairs were delayed due to a Nationwide parts shortage. Vehicle repair began on 7/26/22 after all parts arrived.   Vehicle completion and pick up date 8/4/22.
  Alyssa was aware of the parts issues and the arrival of damaged parts that had to be re-ordered.
  We are at the mercy of our vendors for parts.
  
  Alyssa states she was hung up on and, we were rude to her, however we cannot address this issue as she did not specify who hung up on her and who was rude to her.  Our customers are our top priority,and we strive to please our customers.
  
  ****** states when she picked up her vehicle it was running funny. At that point of time, she should have returned to the shop or called us as her vehicle is under warranty and we would have taken care of any issues. If there was additional damage, as she states, we would have reinspected the vehicle to fix all issues and/or would have notified Geico for the approval and supplemented for any additional repairs. She did not give us the opportunity.  Instead, she took her vehicle elsewhere ****** dealership.) ****** did not state the date that she took her vehicle to the ***** shop. Was it immediately after she picked up on 8/4/22? It has been 3 months and we are just finding out about this. Has it been in the ***** shop all this time, or did she just take it to them?
  
  We apologize for her vehicle being picked up dirty. Our detail person was off the day she picked up and she was wanting to get her car, so we released it.  We did not get a chance to check the trunk or clean the interior, as our normal procedure before a vehicle is released, goes to the detail area and is cleaned and has a quality control inspection.  We would have disposed of the old parts that the Airbag Vendor left in her trunk. It is not our policy to leave used parts in the customers vehicle unless requested.  We dispose of all parts.
  
  The alignment issue is a warranty issue and had she given us the opportunity to take care of this problem we would have. Same goes for the broken tire sensor.Things happen and that is why we offer a lifetime warranty.  As far as the issue of the type of parts used on her vehicle, we are required to follow insurance guidelines on what parts will be used on a customers vehicle. (OEM, used or aftermarket). See attached parts invoices and estimate of repair. Most parts were OEM certified.
  Back-order parts. Our system shows that all parts were installed. We were waiting on two parts, but they came in and were installed prior to the vehicle being picked up. 
  
  We are truly sorry about the delay in the repair but unfortunately, we cannot be held responsible to refund the customer for her car payments, insurance and re-imbursement for the repair due to the length of time the vehicle was in the shop,and we were not given the opportunity to warranty her vehicle. To this date we have not spoken to ************************* on any of these issues.
  
  We at Meridian Collision take pride in our customer service 54 years in business and our standing with the BBB. We go to great lengths to keep our reputation untarnished. 
  
  *********************
  General Manager    

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